Federal funding dries up for NT landcare group

A landcare group based in Tennant Creek may soon face closure due to a lack of funding.

The Barkly Landcare and Conservation Association's projects are primarily funded through the Federal Government's Caring for our Country program.

But manager Naomi Wilson says with new eligibility criteria for funding, changing priorities and the announcement of the federal election, the group is being forced to rely on a small amount of reserve funding.

"The Caring for our Country program ended on the 30th of June," she said.

"There is a second round, but the funds released for that have been limited. Significant amounts of land were excluded from eligibility for example the Barkly and a lot of the Gulf area of the Northern Territory.

"The Biodiversity Fund then released some money and again the Barkly was excluded from that.

"More recently there were some funds released under the Innovation Grants program, but the government went into caretaker mode before they had a chance to announce the successful programs.

"So we pretty much haven't had money coming from the Australian Government since the end of June.

"Potentially we're not going to be able to keep some of our staff, and if the situation doesn't change before the end of the year we'll have to consider closing."

The Barkly Tablelands faces infestations of weeds such as parkinsonia, prickly acacia and parthenium across an area that holds 35 per cent of the Northern Territory's total cattle herd.

But Naomi Wilson says the region has not been identified as a priority at a federal level.